cncfandomcom-20200223-history
Cyborg Commando (Tiberian Sun)
The Cyborg Commando is an elite fighting unit within the Brotherhood of Nod appearing in Tiberian Sun. Background By the early part of the 21st century, the Brotherhood had made significant progress in the field of Cybernetics. This allowed them to create cybernetic soldiers who varied in their levels of performance. However, certain cyborgs distinguished themselves from their comrades in combat proficiency and tactical analysis especially as their computer chips served only as relays between the man and the machine. Those exceptional soldiers were later promoted to the position held by commandos where they received additional upgrades with their infusion of implants turning them into Cyborg Commandos. These new and improved soldiers were completely different from the rank and file regular cyborgs as well as being much more resilient in combat. During the Firestorm Crisis, the advanced Nod artificial intelligence known as CABAL went rogue and turned against its makers. Taking with it the Brotherhood's arsenal of cyborgs, it intended to become the new ruler of the Earth and thus saw Nod being deprived of its Cyborg Commandoes. CABAL, having carried cyborg research forward, was fond of using Cyborg Commandos as guards for important installations. Description Originally supposed to be armed with a chaingun and a flamethrower, the Cyborg Commandos were armed with a forward firing plasma cannon that packed a considerable amount of destructive force, enough to destroy Titans in three shots and only a few shots were needed to completely level a structure. When heavily damaged, the legs of the Cyborg Commando would fail and explode, showering the immediate area with Tiberium crystals. The Commando would still retain combat capability, however, the heavy damage would significantly slow it's movements. Unfortunately, only one Cyborg Commando at a time was granted to Nod commanders, as the technologies involved were experimental and could not be easily duplicated. Also, there were some fundamental flaws within the design. Regardless, it was a powerful unit and could devastate entire bases if left unchecked. Deployments During the conflict of the Second Tiberium War, a Cyborg Commando was dispatched by the Brotherhood in order to rescue Black Hand commander Anton Slavik as well as his aide Oxanna Kristos after they were captured by the Global Defense Initiative. When Nod first went on the offensive against the rogue CABAL, a Cyborg Commando was found guarding what was believed to be the CABAL Core- although it later turned out to be only a fake. Later, GDI was forced to defeat two Cyborg Commandos before being able to destroy a cyborg production facility. Another one, coupled with two Cyborgs, was also found guarding the bridge entrance when GDI spearheaded an attack on CABAL's Core. Legacy With the general trend of moving away from cybernetics, the Cyborg Commando was phased out, with Nod developing a new Commando program which were primarily used during the Third Tiberium War. Unknown to many, Kane had made use of the abandoned Marked of Kane project which was reactivated with the help of the AI known as LEGION and used them as part of a number of operations by 2052 though this unit of cyborg infantry lacked any form of commandoes within their ranks. Later, by the years approaching the Fourth Tiberium War, Kane had made use of CABALs research as well as advanced Scrin technology to usher in the latest generation of Cybernetic Commandos. In-game unit Cyborg Commandos, being heavy duty cyborgs, are only vulnerable to vehicles and aircraft with high-caliber weaponry; no infantry can ever dream of taking on the Cyborg Commando and still live to talk about it. It takes a number of Titans to subdue a Cyborg Commando, and the only true rival it has is the massive Mammoth Mk. II and even then, it stands a reasonable chance of winning a one on one fight with GDI's best vehicle. Cyborg Commandos were also vulnerable to EMP devices and all forms of air attacks. As Tiberium enhanced soldiers, they can also heal when standing in a Tiberium field. The legs of the Cyborg Commando can fail and explode if he takes too much damage, showering the immediate area with Tiberium crystals. The Commando still retains its combat capability, however, the heavy damage significantly slows down its movements. Selected Quotes Assessment Pros *Can be used as a one man army, as he can decimate an entire army of infantry *Cannot be squished by armored unit *Immune to Tiberium radiation *Self-healing on Tiberium *Good attack range. *Can destroy whole bases if they are not well defended *Able to destroy most light units in a single volley and others in just a few. *Can defeat most units in one-on-one matches *Can destroy most vehicles and structures within 3 shots *A rival towards the Mammoth walker Cons *Slow moving, especially when losing their leg *Expensive ($2000) *Helpless against aircraft, and vulnerable to groups of anti-armour vehicles *Requires a Temple of Nod *Disabled by EMP *Only one can deploy at a time *May cause friendly fire. Gallery File:CyborgCommando.jpg|Concept art Behind the Scenes The manual states the commando is armed with a chain gun and flamethrower. In-game however, it uses the far more effective Plasma Cannon. The manual text was most likely written before the game was fully complete, and the developers didn't change it after the Cyborg Commando was fully implemented in the game. Category:Tiberian Sun infantry Category:Cybernetics Category:Elite Units